+ Look at these four. When did they get so big? I love this photo (from yesterday before church) for so many reasons. The dresses, the shoes and tights, Lucy’s crown…I just love having girls.
+ Good news. I’ve officially come out of the first trimester fog. At almost 15 weeks I now have a desire to blog again but to be honest I don’t know what to blog about. Again. Yep. Back in that stupid funk. Oh well- I’m just excited I want to blog!
+ We are heading to Normandy soon for a week. We are staying in Rouen, Honfleur, Bayeux, Mont St. Michel, and a couple of other places. We are doing a one day Normandy tour and I’m already teary-eyed just thinking about it. I just looked up the weather and it’s rainy almost the entire time, though. BOO. Guess that’s France in the spring, yes?
+ Finished Orphan Train and I LOVED it, but it broke my heart.
+ The ONLY things I want to eat are Japanese, Thai, and Chinese foods. Seriously. Italian food still grosses me out. Sigh. I need this to end. Luckily I found a great restaurant and had an amazing plate of Pad Thai and I could have cried it was so good. Why is pregnancy so weird?
+ Any book recommendations? I’m stuck. What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
Happy Monday y’all. I’d love to hear what you are up to in the comments, I’ve missed you guys!
xoxo
S
If you make it to Caen, the WWII museum there is very good and it’s also just a cute little town!
Thank you!
Sent from my iPhone
Dear Stephanie,
Stoner, by John Williams. It’s not a new novel (1965) and its recent popularity is slightly odd – but so deserved. BEST novel I read in 2014. Can not recommend it highly enough. I cried as I read it, re-read it again as soon as I’d finished, more slowly, to properly drink it in. Some of my tears were not for the book’s plot (though I did find it sad in places), but the thought that I could so easily have lived my life, and then died, and never have discovered this novel. (How many others am I missing? Ack!) Here’s a teaser:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/13/stoner-john-williams-julian-barnes
Cheers,
Louise
p.s. enjoy Mont St. Michel – my favourite.
Also, just finished The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes and enjoyed it:)
My favorite book so far this year is “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. It’s the story of the 1936 American rowing team in the Berlin Olympics. I am usually not at all a fan of non-fiction but this book completely captivated me. I could not put it down and have recommended it to everyone I know.
So glad you’re feeling better! Have you read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry? It’s from a couple of years ago, so you probably have but I figure it’s worth mentioning just in case. I thought it was thought-provoking and heartwarming. I also love the Thrush Green series and Fairacre series by Miss Read. Each is set in an eponymous fictitious English village, and is full of delightful, quirky characters.
I enjoyed reading “Girls in White Dresses” last week! Quick beach-type read. I want those girls as my real life best friends! 🙂
Just finished Before I Go by Colleen Oakley. Couldn’t put it down. Heavy subject matter but great writing.
I just finished Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It was sad (set in WWII) but the best book I’ve read in a long time.
I just finished “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay, after my mom recommended it. Totally amazing. It’s set in Paris, but they do a little visit to Italy, so maybe you’ll enjoy it just for that reason. I don’t want to say too much about it because I’m sure the online book description sells it much better. Like I said – amazing. Also, since you’ve read “The Rosie Project,” you could try “The Rosie Effect,” which was also fun.
Some good ones I’ve read this year—Ursula, Under by Ingrid Hill (took me a bit to get into it but holy mackerel, once I did, I couldn’t put it down); Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League by Jonathan Odell (kind of sort of like The Help but actually was written before, and is more complex—he expanded on the original novel and republished it this year); A Fifty-Year Silence by Miranda Richmond Mouillot (good France/family history/WWII memoir, not like regular memoirs). Also, my favorite book from last year, A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman. SO GOOD.
The girl on the train like everyone else (loved it) and Reconstructing Amelia.
Just finished Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Currently reading Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects. Both really good
They are beautiful Steph! …and you’re right…when did they get so grown! I just read The Girl On the Train, and it was good.
I finished “Dangerous Girls” by Abigal Haas in less than 48 hours. A quick, but entertaining, read. So excited about your baby news!
Wow, the girls look so big! Can’t believe how tall Sadie is! Glad you’re feeling better, and were able to enjoy it. Pad Thai – yum!
Little Big Lies. The girls look so cute!! Glad you are feeling better 🙂
This photo is really sweet !! Normandy is often rainy because It is the north of France but spring is usually fab in France !! It is cold right now but it should get better soon ! Hugs from the french Alps
beautiful girls!!
Enjoy traveling!!
Adorable pictures! Am currently reading Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – really like it! Our book group just finished (and loved) Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt – we also loved Orphan Train! Have a great trip!
did you read Station Eleven yet? I heard it was sooo good. My sister in law will be passing it to me once her friend is done with it! I am reading China Dolls now by Lisa See and loving it! I am sure you read it awhile ago though, it’s older! I am going back and reading books I never got to years ago!
Have you read Invention of Wings??? LOVED LOVED LOVED~!!!!!
your girls are all sooo beautiful!!!
tara
Girls look so pretty. Happy Holidays!
I loved loved loved STONER. Magnificent book. Hated GIRL ON THE TRAIN with its three unreliable narrators. Loved A MAN CALLED OVE recently. Waiting for a lot of library reserves to come in.
Be sure to eat lots of macarons (not macaroons) in Rouen. Diagonally across from the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake is a bakery that had a cart of macarons outside covered with an umbrella. Wonderful in every flavor.
We loved Honfleur – lots of interesting buildings and the harbor is beautiful with reflections.
Normandy touched me in a way no place ever has. Breathtaking when you think of those mostly young soldiers trying to get up those cliffs. It is just haunting.
Sadly, since my urge to paint has taken over I haven’t been reading. But, I am still devoted to Outlander and want to read them all! lol it’s going to take a while.
Anything remarkably different about this pregnancy from the others yet? Or is it still too early to tell?
What a beautiful picture — they all look so sweet. Sadie looks tall and so like her Daddy!
I recently read “As You Wish” — a short, very readable, very positive behind-the-scenes book about the making of The Princess Bride. Station Eleven is really wonderful, but kind of bleak and scary, too. I only gave Girl on the Train three stars — unreliable narrators kind of tick me off — ha, ha. Have you read any Rainbow Rowell yet? I just finished Attachments, which was good.
I almost didn’t recognize Sadie, she’s so big!! Gorgeous photo. 🙂 I’m in the middle of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and am loving it. Whimsical and enchanting. I also read How to Improve your Marriage without Talking About It (non-fiction, obv) which I would recommend to any couple. I borrowed it from the library then bought my own copy to highlight. 🙂
Can definitely recommend Stoner by John Williams and I *loved* The Goldfinch…..could not put it down…..
love the picture of the girls-they look so beautiful!!! 🙂
This is my most recent book stack. So far I’ve read Secrets of a Charmed Life and am almost through with Before I Go. Both were great! Susan Meissner is one of my favorites!
Have you read All the Light We Cannot See? I just finished it and it was amazing.
We’ll be in Normandy too! Sainte-Mere-Eglise, Mont St. Michel, the cemetery, the beaches, etc. I’ll be on the lookout for you!
We went on the Normandy tours a few years ago and it was sooooo amazing!
Walking along the beach and seeing where the brave soldiers landed, seeing the jagged cliffs, climbing down into the bunkers and praying in the most amazing cemetery. I’ll never forget how I felt that day….grateful, sad, joy, American pride, etc….
There simply are not nearly enough words for the gratitude we owe all the men, women and their families for what they do for us and the world.
God Bless all of you….
I’ve cycled through all those places in Normandy, they’re lovely, I’m sure you’ll adore them, rain or no rain. Although I’m hoping for no rain. I really enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver’s “Flight Behaviour”, perhaps you’ve already read it though. Happy to hear you’re feeling a little perkier now. I hope you’re able to find plenty of delicious things to eat. CJ xx
I just finished The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro and loved it. I’m really enjoying The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Gilbraith (aka JK Rowling) right now.
Great photo of your girls. Glad to hear you are feeling more like yourself.
oh! and have you read The Storied Life of AJ Fikry yet? That’s another really good book.
Ste. Mere Eglise has a great WWII museum that is interesting for kids. It’s a pretty town and has a nice cafe next to the museum.
Forgot to include a link for the pic of the stack! https://instagram.com/p/0s_baYkRWn/?taken-by=melmom98
Best things I have read lately are Station Eleven, Murder at the Brightwell (30’s Agatha Christie style murder written by young woman from Louisiana) and Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the end of the Lane. So glad you are feeling better. Love and blog post ideas from Singapore.
Another vote for the Girl on the train. And one I read last year and loved was Attachmente by Rainbow Rowell. Loved all the 90’s references.
If you want a poignant, but laugh out loud book, an oldie that I recently reread (for like the 5th time) is Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern.
What an adorable picture.
The Boys in the Boat. Read it! True story! The only survivor from the team lived in my town!( sadly I had parent conferences the day he spoke at our local library!)
Glad you are feeling better!
I agree with a couple of others for both “Sarah’s Key” and “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” — both so awesome.
I recently read “When the Cypress Whispers” by Yvette Manessis Corporon. My late-ex-husband was from Greece and our son lived there for a couple years after both his grandmother and his father passed away, taking care of legal issues. This book is set out on the islands and is sooo good! I cried big-time towards the end but it was worth it!
I also enjoyed the books by Candice Millard including “The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey” and more recently “Destiny Republic” regarding the death of President Garfield. Both true stories and both very interesting and intriguing.
Otherwise I like about any of the J.D. Robb series of mysteries as well as all the books by Sue Henry (many set in Alaska), and the FBI series by Catherine Coulter and anything by Tony Hillerman plus a number of other writers/series.
I like to read a lot especially before going to sleep.
Jill
Tulsa, OK
I just love your stories about your darling girls and your stories of your travels.
I would love to hear about your pregnancy in a foreign land, as compared to the US…
What are the doctors like? Girl/boy?
You are an excellent writer…always read your blogs…
Just finished Big Little Lies – loved it! Now I’m reading The Girl on the Train & I can’t put it down. Next up – The Nightingale, have heard nothing but good things. The girls are so adorable!!!
The last three books I devoured: “Tell the wolves I’m home”, “the sea of tranquility”, and “we were liars”. If you haven’t read them already, I recommend them.
I loved “First Frost” by Sarah Addison Allen. I’m a huge fan of “Wonder” by RJ Palacio. I’ve been listening to the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and really liking that. I’m currently reading “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson – it was highly recommended by my big sister. I also loved “Where’d you go Bernadette,” “Lost Lake,” and “The Rosie Project.” Sorry if any of these are redundant. I’ve also read “we were liars’ and “Tell the wolves I’m Home” and they are both great.
Your girls are so beautiful and growing up soooooo fast. So happy you found a good restaurant, love pad thai too! This Easter was a hard one…..my Father past away two months ago and I miss him so much, so we kept our Easter very low key. I am slowly getting back into documenting my PL but one thing is for sure amidst all these uncertainties….your blog is and always has been a highlight for me, letting us have a glimpse of your beautiful, full life is inspiring and uplifting for me. My latest read was Girl on the Train, loved it, a quick read. xoxoxo. Enjoy Normandy!
I don’t comment often. But I thought I would let you know about a great book I read: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend.
“Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise
Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He’s been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends. But Budo feels his age, and thinks constantly of the day when eight-year-old Max Delaney will stop believing in him. When that happens, Budo will disappear.”
Seriously one of the best books I have read lately! Let me know if you pick it up!
Pregnancy hormones do very odd things to us. It’s true! I just finished a little book called “The Music Box” By T. Davis Bunn. It’s short but so good! I found it hard to put it down. I’m reading Candace Cameron Bure’s book “Balancing it all”. Also very good!
BEAUTIFUL girls!
When I went to Normandy, I couldn’t even talk. I needed to wander around by myself. It was just so emotional.
OH and you should visit Mont Saint Michel and Saint-Malo.
Both lovely and interesting and amazing!
I can’t wait to visit there again someday.
Started The Look of Love by Sarah jio last night, LOVING IT! have you read it ?? probably but thought I would tell anyway! I never remember what ones you’ve read! Heck, can’t remember what I read most of the time LOL!
tara
Your gals are gorgeous! And what a fun age now. just finished “The Fault in our Stars” by John Green; fabulous quick read but you may have read it already as it is a couple years old……loved the book. http://www.amazon.com/The-Fault-Stars-John-Green/dp/0525478817 Someone above recommended Boys in the Boat that I would also highly recommend!
Have a wonderful trip to Normandy. Take care and hopefully French food will be just the change you need.
I just finished Orphan Train. Tears throughout the entire book!
Happy to hear you are feeling better!
Girls in Easter dresses, so sweet! The Amber Keeper–good quick read. Just starting the Spool of Blue Thread.
I’ve just finished ‘All the light we cannot see’ by Anthony Doerr. It’s 700+ pages but i could’nt stop reading, i finished it in 2 days 😉 It maybe is the best book i’ve ever read! Best part: the most part of the story is set in Saint-Malo, a walled port city in Brittany, very close to Normandy. If you have the opportunity you should visit (it’s a 50 minute drive from Mont Saint Michel), it’s very beautiful!
If you haven’t read already – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is brilliant. Quirky and absorbing.
A recent surprise for me was Val McDermid’s re-telling of Northanger Abbey (set in a world where Catherine Morland can tweet and facebook stalk) was wonderful and gave me a new appreciation for the original. I’m always a bit sceptical about modern Austens as I love the originals, but this was worth reading.
Also, I think I remember you reading the Rosie Project at some point? There’s now a sequel, the Rosie Effect. I haven’t read it yet myself so can’t promise that it’s good but might be worth trying if you liked the first.